Cardiorenal Syndrome
Heart health and kidney health are strongly connected. As early as 1974, doctors noted that kidney failure patients on dialysis have a high incidence of cardiovascular problems. A review article from 2005 reports that death from cardiovascular illness is 375 times higher in dialysis patients aged 25 to 35, compared to those with normal kidney function. The authors conducted a comprehensive literature search to see whether patients in the early stages of kidney disease also have increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Their conclusion was yes, impaired kidney function causes damage to the heart and blood vessels well before kidney failure is obvious, and the association between kidney disease and heart disease is comparable to the link between diabetes mellitus and heart disease.
Heart disease puts stress on the kidneys also. Cardiorenal syndrome is defined as a spiral of worsening heart disease and kidney disease. Treatment of this condition is a challenge, according to a review from the Cleveland Clinic, because most of the evidence for treating heart failure comes from clinical trials that excluded patients with significant kidney disease.
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